Flawless!
Before getting married, Danish born Mette Mitchell worked as a trend adviser in interior design and she regularly traveled to Japan. After having her first baby, Mette left the corporate world and using the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi, she created the idea for her online shop: Flawless.
Wabi-sabi is the beauty of the imperfect, the impermanent, and the incomplete. It is the beauty of all things modest, humble and unconventional… ‘It is the cracks in the bark of trees that lets us know it is a mature and healthy tree!’
All the items that Mette sells in her shop are handmade by individuals from around Europe, who in their spare time enjoy nothing more than knitting or sewing. Because of the fact that the items are handmade with love, each item will be naturally different from the one made before it and the one made after. All of them are perfect and unique in their own imperfect, Wabi-sabi way: flawless! (more…)
Geraldine Valluet
You can find Geraldine Valluet’s shop on one of the little streets heading up to the Sacré Coeur in Montmarte.
Her jewelery is so diverse I thought that several jewelers were displaying their wares in her shop, but once you start looking closely you realize that there is something recognizable in all her work.
What I was especially taken by was the capsule line of children’s jewelery – a far cry from chunky plastic beads in bright colours. Here we are talking about silver chains and bracelets with delicate little semi-precious stones in pastel colours. I guess the kind of thing I would like my daughter to wear, (though I am not so sure it is the kind of thing she, as a 2-year-old would really appreciate). This is not the kind of jewelery you buy to play dress up, but is more for special occasions or as a memento.
You can contact Geraldine to book an appointment for custom-made jewelery, and you can also buy online internationally.
-Emilie
Courgette soup
In summer, courgettes (or zucchinis for the Americans and Italians amongst us) are readily available and thankfully very cheap (am I the only one who finds grocery shopping so extremely expensive these days?).
I love courgette soup and cook it a lot in the summer. Once, I had a bunch of dill I needed to get rid of so I decided to throw it in with the soup. Everyone agreed the combination was extremely yummy!
So here it is – my favourite, cheap, super-easy and super-quick courgette soup recipe! (more…)
Kushies bib
I may be a bit obsessed but I tend to make my 3-year-old wear a bib most of the time. He isn’t too messy but I just do not like stained shirts and I do not want too many clothing changes (especially on holidays). The latest addition to our bib collection is this waterproof taffeta bib from Kushies. The fabric is waterproof, yet very thin so it takes up very little space in your handbag and it cleans and dries really quickly. In my opinion it’s the perfect travel bib for a toddler who still needs some protection!
-Michela
Natural History Museum
It is a marvel of a museum, a truly beautiful building with extraordinary exhibits. The Natural History Museum here in London first opened its doors in 1881, and his home to some of the most fascinating and rare objects (like the heaviest woolly mammoth tusks ever found and a skeleton of an extinct sea cow)! It is definitely one of my favorite museums in London, especially for kids.
I brought both my boys to the museum last week, and I nearly had tears in my eyes watching my 3-year-old squeal with delight. When he saw that giant life-size model of the blue whale and the other sea creatures he could barely speak. He experienced that same sensation later on when we visited the dinosaurs, but for a different reason: that roaring animatronic T-rex terrified him so much, he was left speechless. But yet he sat there staring in amazement, and didn’t want to leave. So much fun for a little person. (more…)
Pockaboo
Almost every time I sit down to breastfeed the telephone rings, and I can almost guarantee that it is lying on the other side of the flat. So I am running around following the ring, and the poor little thing is not really having a very enjoyable time, as running and feeding a newborn are not compatible, at least in my opinion.
This is where I have discovered the nifty little thing called a Pockaboo - a sort of tool belt for new moms. It is made out of 3 pockets in which you can stash all of your little bits and pieces. The pockets are big enough to store small water bottles, mobile phones etc., but also small enough that things cannot get lost at the bottom of the bag. The pockets are attached to a belt, so you can do a multitude of things with it: swing it round your waist, hang it from the back of a chair or a cot, or even when you (eventually) manage to get out, you can hang it from the back of your pram.
Ingenious, I think! Trust two moms to come up with the idea after they realized that there actually is a way out of the chaos of having a baby!
- Emilie
Puma baby
Am I talking about my son a lot these days? I’m just so in love with him at the moment – at 18 months he’s at such a cute age. Just in between being a baby and a small boy, he’s a bit like a small puppy – playful, a little clumsy, and oh so adorable.
Of course it helps that the clothes he’s wearing are so overly cute on him. The little jeans, the baby body-warmer, his tiny little Puma suedes…
I’m very lucky, because one of my close friends in London used to work for Puma (well, actually most of Puma worked for her), and at the same time she managed to singly raise a beautiful little girl – my daughter’s closest girlfriend. Every now and then she would bring them back the coolest little Puma shoes…
And now my son is proudly wearing them. They look very close to the Puma Liga shoes pictured on the left… Are you in love???
xxx Esther
Orangery Restaurant
If you’re visiting London, you’ll probably want to make a booking for afternoon tea to be assured a true English experience. If you’re coming to London with your kids, you should plan on having tea at the Orangery Restaurant in the beautiful Kensington Gardens (as opposed to the Ritz, for example)!
The Orangery, located literally smack in the center of the park, is directly opposite Kensington Palace, and right next to one of London’s most famous playgrounds: the Princess Diana Memorial Playground (known to London mums as the ‘pirate ship’). The location is ideal for an afternoon outing, and their ‘kids’ version’ of afternoon tea allows you to bring them along without feeling out of place. (more…)
Hiking and napping
My husband and I love hiking in the mountains and every summer we spend the largest part of our holidays in the Dolomites, in the northern part of Italy close to the border of Austria. So when our first son was old enough to sit, we bought a good back carrier and kept hiking. It was great – the little boy was happy to look at the world (and trees, and cows, and flowers…) from up there, and we kept our busy walking schedule.
The problem was making sure he had long enough naps so that when we got home, exhausted from our walk, he was not at his crankiest. He would fall asleep but would not nap for long, so we figured he may not have been very comfortable. So we bought this dog shaped neck support – cute enough to be accepted as a nice addition, and light and squashy so that it would fit in the big pocket of the back carrier. Problem solved! He would take very long naps and we could even take off the carrier and leave it standing with our little one sleeping in it!!!
-Michela
Creme de Violette
Call me a sentimental old fool but since I have a baby called Violette, I find myself drawn to anything with a violet flavour or scent. Fortunately for me there are a lot of violet-flavoured items around France. Some smell so bad that they might as well be the content of little Violette’s nappy, while others are really nice.
This is how I discovered what I have decided will be the drink of the summer for me: a Violette Kir. A Kir is a classic French aperitif – white wine mixed with a fruity liquor called a Creme. Traditionally and most commonly you use a Creme de Cassis.
A Violette Kir (made with Creme de Violette) is a derivative of the traditional drink and it is delicious. An even fancier version is the Violette Kir Royal, where you replace the white wine with champagne! The perfect way to toast a perfect little girl!
I found my bottle of Creme de Violette in my local Nicolas.
- Emilie
Helen Ficalora charms
I have worn the same necklace for the past 5 years and I just love it. I receive compliments and questions (“whose initials are those?”) all the time. It’s a simple, thin gold chain with two gold charms dangling from the end: an M for my husband and a C for me. Simple, very sort of organic in style, yet so beautiful.
I first read about Helen Ficalora’s gold jewelry in a crumpled old magazine on the floor of my hairdressers. I loved the alphabet charms so much I called the inquiry number that evening. To my surprise, Helen herself picked up the phone and helped me with my order. She told me I was her first international order, and she sent the most lovely note along with my necklace. This was back in the day when they worked out of a single office room in Seattle, WA. Now, she has shops in 3 different trendy U.S. cities, and is obviously not answering the inquiry phone number any more. But the customer service is still the same – really helpful and super friendly. (more…)
Towel too tiny?
At some point your baby gets so big, he will outgrow his cute little hooded towel… I know for new parents among us this is hard to imagine, but trust me, it will happen! Sooner than later!
Not to worry though, the clever people at Ikea found the solution with these super-sized hooded towels! They’re still adorable, even for a bigger baby (or small child); they have cute sheep embroidered on the hood and a small red gingham border. The quality is fine; I’ve had some of mine for over 2 years now and I still use them on a daily basis… I don’t want them to grow up too fast!
xxx Esther
Farm on a string
Agricolino, this little-farm-on-a-string toy, was bought 2 years ago and has lived in our restaurant bag ever since. When my first son was a bit over a year old he was learning animal names so the game was to set up a farm and name all the elements. Then inserting the string and creating the farm necklace became the new interesting feature.
I really think this wooden toy is super cute – the animals even have felt ears and the string helps keep everything together. It also helps children develop fine motor skills. This comes from Selecta, but many other companies have ’string toy’ sets!
-Michela
Nuxe Spa
While I was pregnant a couple of months ago, I found my own personal eden, otherwise known as the NUXE Spa. I have written about the NUXE products before, which I love and use on my face, hands and all over the place. So when I found out that there was a Nuxe spa in the centre of Paris that offered pregnancy massage I had to check it out! It was truly amazing. Firstly the spa itself is beautiful. It’s tucked away off the side of the frenetic pavements around Les Halles, and you feel like you are stepping out of Paris when you arrive. Also the treatment rooms must be bigger than an average Parisian flat (I really don’t like those poky little boxes you sometimes find in spas). The massage was wonderful and relaxing and the cheeky little facial I treated myself to was fantastic too.
Almost worth getting pregnant all over again…. (Of course I don’t mean that seriously)!
Beautiful, but be careful!
Chinese Lantern (physalis alkekengi) is a truly fascinating plant. First, there are little white flowers. Then, in late summer, they develop into fruits, protected by larger, papery pods – green at first, but later becoming bright orange, perfectly resembling little Chinese Lanterns! Inside is a perfect, red berry…
When the lanterns have received their full colouring you can easily cut them and bring them indoors – they keep their colour for a long time and are very pretty in autumn arrangements – or for Halloween.
The berries are edible when ripe, and contain more vitamin c than lemons! They don’t taste very good by themselves (they’re very sour), but can be used for jams and jellies.
This highly ornamental plant can be successfully grown in the shade or in sunny spots. In fact, they are aggressive spreaders, so it’s best to grow them in a container if you don’t want the entire garden to be taken over (or if you have a balcony)! They like moist soil, so watering is necessary in dry times or climates.
So far so good, right? But here comes the bad part… (more…)
Mrs. Booth
Mrs. Booth, based here in England, is a mother and graphic designer who designs cute, educational gifts for children. She specializes in letters (alphabet coloring books, alphabet friezes, stickers, name cards, etc.) and numbers (number cards and a counting activity book) all with the same bright colors and simplicity that children love. I love her alphabet coloring books because they encourage kids to learn their letter recognition and formation. Kids color in the animal or object, but there’s also a place for them to trace the letter (both upper and lower cases). They’re simple and educational, and only cost 5 pounds a pop! Not bad… Might be good to buy a few and take them with you when traveling, or to restaurants, etc.Visit her online shop for product info and purchasing.
-Courtney
De Taart van m’n Tante
Yesterday I took my little family for a treat: we went to ‘De Taart van m’n Tante‘ (Cakes of my Aunt) for coffee and cake. ‘De Taart van m’n Tante’ is not just an ordinary tearoom with your everyday kind of cake — in fact, it might be the most kitschy tearoom of Amsterdam, with the most spectacular cakes!
The men behind ‘De Taart van m’n Tante’, Siemon and Noam, strive to make everybody (young and old, conservative and hip, Sikhs and nuns) at home in their cake parlour, and in my opinion they have succeeded. I especially love the grandma-style sofa and coffee-table in the back!
The cakes are yummy (my daughter was very happy to find out that they serve a super sweet strawberry cake entirely covered in pink marzipan – exactly to her taste!) and the owners really easygoing. They didn’t seam to mind at all that my little boy was screaming for cookies – in fact, they just gave him a plate full of them!
If you want to order a cool cake for a birthday, baptism or Bar Mitzvah, they will happily custom design any sort of cake (I mean ANY sort). But make sure you order well in advance! (Cakes from their regular assortment can be ordered 24 hours beforehand).
xxx Esther
Stacking cups
I am sure you all own a set (or more) of stacking cups, but I just wanted to tell you that this is the toy we’ve been taking on holidays since my first son was a few months old.
They take up so little space which makes them so convenient to pack, and then they double up as bath toys. Kids use them properly (stacking them) and improperly (just banging one against the other). We have them with us on holiday now, and they were meant to be for the little one but my son likes to show off in front of his sister and so he is playing with them and building the tower really quickly, which she destroys immediately. It’s basically the first time they have actually played together!
Given how little they cost this must be the toy with the best price-usage ratio. But while they are perfect holiday toys, they are definitely not great for travel. We learned the hard way during a busy trip on the intercity train from Milan to Venice – we had to crawl under all the seats to collect the rolling cups!
-Michela
Clafoutis
I was brought up on Clafoutis, a previously little-known dessert from a little known region I come from: the Limousin.
While reading the food reviews in several newpapers, I have noticed that the clafoutis has left the Limousin and has become a dessert you can find in London, New York and many more places.
A clafoutis is neither a cake nor a pudding. The only way I can describe it is as a baked pancake. In its original form it was only made with cherries (with the stones left in) but nowadays it has hybrids with pretty much any fruit under the sun. It is really easy, quick to make, and delicious!
And here is the recipe for a classic clafoutis…
Eco party bags for kids
For my son’s birthday party last month I walked to my local party store and hastily grabbed a bunch of little plastic toys and party favors, grabbed a bunch of paper bags, and threw them all together to make 20 different party bags. I’m sure they were a hit with all the kids… but certainly not good for the environment (or for their health, for that matter)!
Next time I am definitely heading to Eco — a shop in Chiswick, London that specializes in everything earth friendly and energy efficient. The shop is the first of its kind to offer domestic solutions for making your home completely green, including eco floor coverings, fabrics, paints and furnishings. They also have a small section devoted to kids’ toys and accessories for healthy, eco-friendly party bags!
First, you choose the party bags themselves, ranging from recycled paper bags to beautiful vintage fabric bags. Then you choose the filling: wooden toys painted in vegetable dies, little books, colored pencils, stamps, little potted plants, and a good range of Remarkable toys (pictured) made from recycled car tires and plastic objects! (more…)
